Grape press



Feb. 2, 1932. H. E. PETERSON 1,843,293

GRAPE PRESS Filed Nov. 12, 1930 .5 Sheets-Sheet l 5 a E J J v glwuenlfozHenryEPelemon Feb. 2, 1932.

H. E. PETERSON- Filed Nov. 12, 1930 GRAPE PRESS 3 Sheets-$heet 2 HenrgllPelemon :MJMKTW Feb. 2, 1932. H. E. PETERSON 1,843,298

GRAPE PRESS Filed Nov. 12, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I N I HenrgEPez" 15012Patented F eb. 2, 1932 gTAFES tsrazes HENRY E. PETERSON, OF GRAPEVIEW,WASHINGTON GRAPE PRESS Application filed November 12, 1930. Serial No.495,021.

My invention relates to presses for such fruits as grapes, berries, andthe like. One of the objects of my invention is to provide a press ofthis character of considerable capacity, yet so arranged that the bed ofmash is comparatively shallow, so that as a result a good pressing maybe obtained with minimum pressure, resulting in the production of clearjuice.

It is a further object to provide a press of this type employing a shortscrew, so that the time and effort used to screw up and down a longscrew is eliminated, and further, to provide a means whereby the plungerand associated parts may be thrown back out of the way to give freeaccess to the press box, without the necessity of employing a longscrew.

A further object is the provision of a press for such uses which,because of the lower pressure, will permit the use of ordinary strainercloths, notwithstanding the use of power means to produce the pressure,yet will cause a minimum of bursting of these cloths.

Other objects, and more especially such as relate to the mechanicaldetails of my invention, may be understood from a study of theaccompanying drawings, wherein my invenion is shown embodied in a formwhich is at present preferred by me, of the following specification, andof the claims which terminate the same.

My invention comprises the novel grape press, embodied in illustrativeform in the drawings, and as described in the specification and definedby the claims: I

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my press, parts being shown in section.

Figure 2 is a transverse section through my press, showing parts inposition ready to start a press, and Figure 3 is a similar view, withthe beam and associated parts in end elevation, but illustrating partsthrown open ready to receive a fresh charge of mash.

In order that the capacity of the press may be conveniently large, yetthat the body of mash within the press be shallow, so that the pressureis communicated easily through the mass, I preier that the press box lbe,er downward, various means may ployed.

made comparatively long as related to its width and particularly asrelated to its depth. It is suitably supported, as upon the frame-work10, and between the posts 11 and 12, and these various parts aresuitably braced, as is indicated by the tie-rods 13, so

that the press box isrtight against pressure tending to spread its wallsapart. Cooperating with this press box is a plunger 2, which is of a.size approximately corresponding to the press box, and fittingthereinto. This may be braced by a backbone or longitudinal rib 20.

To raise and lower the plunger 2 from the position shown in Figure 2, Iprovide a screw 3 which is received within a nut 32, the nut beingsecured to the plunger or to the rib 20 by such means as the bolts 22,and

the upri ht screw is journaled at 34 in a beam 4:, which extendstransversely across the press box at a distance above the plunger. Athrust bearing, indicated at 80, would ordinarily be employed at thelower side of the beam, and to conserve space the rib 20 may have a hole23 to receive the lower end of the screw when parts are in the positionshown in Figure 2.

To rotate the screw and to move the plungbe em- I prefer to employ amotor 5, mounted upon the beam, and preferably upon an overhangingextension 40 thereof, which motor is connected to a countershaft 50,whereon is secured a worm pinion 51, meshing with a worm gear 53 on theupper end of the jack screw 3.

Because of the length of the plunger 2, I

prefer that two or more jack screws 3 be em ployed, and to support them,I may employ a corresponding number of beams i, which may be suitablybraced, as indicated at d1, so that they move as a unit. They may alsobe connected by a board which forms a platform for the reception of themotor 5.

The countershaft 50, in such a case, would 9 extend longitudinally ofthe press box 1, but above it on that portion 42 of the beams whichnormally lies above the press box and plunger. Suitable bearings 52are'provided for the opposite ends of the 'countershaft,

these being supported, in the arrangement shown, upon angle brackets 43.Naturally, there would be one of the worm gears 53 and a correspondingworm 51 for each of the screws 3, and suitable means would be arrangedto drive the countershaft from the motor, such as the belt 54 passingover pulleys 55 and 56. All of this power drive mechanism is, therefore,supported upon the beams.

Unless a long screw 3 is employed, it is not an easy matter to raise theplunger suiliciently that convenient access may be had to the interiorof the press box to supply additional mash, to place it within thestrainer cloth, or to remove or shift the pressed mash, and inasmuch asit is desirable to do this frequently, and quickly, I provide a means inthe mounting of the beam 4 whereby the plunger may be quickly and easilyswung to one side out of the way, and I do this by providing a pivotsupport at 44 approximately at the level of the top of the press box 1,and at one side thereof, which pivot support directly engages adepending leg 46 secured to the beam 4 between its ends; to hold partsin position and to take the stresses incident to the pressing operation,I provide another depending leg 47 depending from the front end 42 ofthe beam. The leg 46 is pivoted upon the post 12 and the leg 47 issecured temporarily to the upper end of the post 11, this connectionbeing broken by means of the re movable pin 48.

Normally, parts will be substantially balanced at either side of thepivot 44, the weight of the motor nearly if not quite counterbalancingthe weight of the screws, plunger and drive means. When it is desired togain access to the press box, the pin 48 is withdrawn, and the beam 4tilted backward from the position of Figure 2 to the position of Figure3. The effort required to start this tilting is not great, owing to thebalance of the parts, but because of the fact that the center of gravityof the beam as a whole is well above its pivot 44, the tilting quicklyaccelerates, and it is necessary to provide a means whereby the rear end40 of the beam will not strike the floor or any buffer too heavy a blow.Any convenient means may be employed for this purpose, but I have foundit convenient to connect the end 40 by a cable to a quadrant 61, fromwhich there normally depends a counterweight 6.

The quadrant is in efiect a wheel, though only one-fourth of thisperiphery is employed, and it is supported, as by a bracket 62, from theceiling or any other overhead support. The peripheral distance aboutone-quarter of this wheel, that is, about the useful quadrant, is thesame as the distance through which the end 40 of the beam moves betweenits upper and its lower position. As the beam swings into tiltedposition, therefore, the cable 60, the upper end of which is secured tothe quadrant or wheel 61, pulls upon the quadrant and upon thecounterweight 6, and moves it from a normally depending position, asindicated in Figure 2, to a position projecting laterally from thesupport of the pivot, and in this movement its resistance increases fromnothing to the resistance offered by the given weight at the selectedleverage, which is the distance of the weight from the pivot center ofthe quadrant. This checks the tilting of the beam.

It will be understood that all parts would be suhiciently braced, and tothis end while I may employ wooden beams, I will reinforce such as bearthe heavy stresses with strap iron or like material.

With the press in the position shown in Fig. 3, the nut 32 is fullyretracted to the upper end of the screw 3, and the plunger is clear ofthe press box. The strainer cloth 7 is in position in the press box, andwould usually rest upon a slat-like structure 70, which supports thestrainer cloth and the mash somewhat above the bottom of the press box.The mash is now poured into the strainer cloth within the press box,this is thrown over the top of the mash and over the ends to enclose itcompletely, and the beam is tilted back to the position of Figure 2,where the pin 48 is inserted, and the parts are now in the position ofFigure 2. Upon starting the motor, the screws 3 rotate at the same rateof speed and the plunger 2 moves downwardly into the press box toexpress the juice from the fruit. Since the screw 3 is short, but littlemovement is required, and because of the employment of a number ofscrews and a shallow box, the pressure is distributed evenly over thesurface of the mass and throughout the volume thereof. As a result, thepressure at any given point is not great, the juice is expressed bysteady pressure, and comes through the strainer cloth without carryingany considerable amount of the fruit pulp, yet a high percentage of thejuice is pressed out. Because the pressures are not high, bursting ofstrainer cloths is rare, and the juice, not being forced through astrainer cloth at high pressure, does not tend to squirt out of thepress box and upon the floor, keeping the surrounding of the pressclean.

The press box would ordinarily be inclined slightly, so that the juicewill run to one end, and there is a hose connection, as indicated at 8in Figure 1, at this end, through which ilzlie juice is run off into asettling vat, or the What I claim as my invention is:

1. A grape press comprising a press-box, a plunger receivable therein, abeam normally disposed over the plunger, a pivot support for the beambetween its ends, at one side of the press-box and below the beam, anupright screw journaled in that end of the beam which extends over theplunger, power means for rotating said screw including a motor carriedby the opposite end of the beam, and a nut secured upon the plunger andreceiving the lower end of the screw, the plunger moving, when the beamis tilted, to one side of the press-box.

2. A grape press comprising a press-box, a plunger receivable therein, abeam normally disposed over the plunger, a pivot support for the beambetween its ends, at one side of the press-box and below the beam, anupright screw journaled in that end of the beam which extends over theplunger, power means for rotating said screw including a motor carriedby the opposite end of the beam, a nut secured upon the plunger andreceiving the lower end of the screw, the plunger moving, when the beamis tilted, to one side of the i press-box, and a counterweight connectedto the beam to compensate for the shifting of weights as the beam tilts.

3. A grape press comprising a press-box, a plunger receivable therein, abeam normally disposed over the plunger, a pivot support for the beambetween its ends, at one side of the press-box and below the beam, anupright screw journaled in that end of the beam which extends over theplunger, power means for rotating said screw including a motor carriedby the opposite end of the beam, a nut secured upon the plunger andreceiving the lower end of the screw, the plunger moving, when the beamis tilted, to one side of the press-box, a quadrant supported above thebeam to swing, and having a peripheral length about equal to the travelofthe beam end as it tilts, a cable secured to the beam end and passingover said quadrant, and a weight secured to the quadrant, and dependingvertically when the beam is level, but projecting laterally when thebeam is tilted. to counterweight the beam and the parts supportedthereon. Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 6th day of November, 1930.

HENRY E. PETERSON.

